Strangers in a Peaceful Land
by TaleHeart
Summary: 'Soon I will meet you, a Blackheart against your dawn...' A stranger has come to the Valley of Peace & the Jade Palace, bringing with him mysterious intentions & a wicked nickname. Can the Five trust him or his team? My first fic. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

Strangers in a Peaceful Land

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kung Fu Panda or its affiliated characters. Those belong to Dream Works. I only own Nicodemus (aka Blackheart) and the plot. **

**Chap1 Cloaked**

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><p>It was early, a predawn grey blanching the color out of every living thing. Not that the villagers minded, they were all fast asleep; everyone was asleep, even the great warriors who trained at the Jade Palace were deep in their blankets.<p>

Indeed, it seemed that all were sleeping. All but one.

A stranger walked silently towards the entrance of the village, the being's soft breaths billowing out in clouds of steam. An onyx cloak hid the stranger's features, making it so that the figure appeared to be swathed in the fog itself.

The being continued walking until it came to the village gates, where it proceeded no further. The cloak danced about its feet as a gentle breeze picked up, causing the stranger to shiver slightly.

'_I have at least another half hour before the villagers begin to wake, then another hour until the shops open.'_ The cloaked figure thought somewhat ruefully. '_But at least the inns open with the innkeepers.' _

The figure turned its attention to the shadowy image of the Jade Palace, its wicked ember colored eyes seemed to glow in the rays of the sun that was just making itself known in the mountain sky.

"Not long now, Masters of the Jade Palace." A low voice slipped from between the figures' teeth as it walked a few paces before settling down under a sapling to wait for the inns to open.

'_Soon I will meet you, a Blackheart against your dawn…'_

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><p><strong>AN: Sorry for the short chappie ppl! But I wanted to get some suspence goin' first, since this is my first fanfic & I have no clue what I'm doing. So, who do you think this 'Blackheart' fellow is & why do you think he came to the valley? Please reveiw and tell me your thoughts on the matter! PLEAZ! Also, I'm a noob, so please be gentle with the critisizm 4 right now, K? Thx. ; p**


	2. Chapter 2

Strangers in a Peaceful Land

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kung Fu Panda or its affiliated characters. Those belong to Dream Works. I only own Nicodemus (aka Blackheart) and the plot. **

_**A/N: I forgot to mention this in the last chapter: this story takes place between KFP1 & KFP2. Hope it clears some confusion! : )**_

_**To LadyMysteri: I hope you find this to your liking**_

_**To UnrealFox: Thx for the input, I'll try to put more suspense into the story in the future.**_

**Chap2 A New Customer**

"Po, wake up!" A slightly high-pitched, almost strained voice cut through the vibrant sensations of Po's dream. Po mumbled something into his pillow in response before disappearing back under the covers.

"Come on Po, not even the Dragon Warrior should sleep _this_ late." This time the voice became a presence as Po's dad, Mr. Ping, came up the stairs and successfully yanked the heavy blankets off his son's head, causing Po to yelp at the sudden light and chilly air streaming through his window.

"Okay, Dad, okay! You win, I'm up." With a final heave, Po shoved himself upright and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, taking the time to glance at his sundial before following the goose downstairs. _"6 o'clock_ _in the morning? You gotta be kiddin' me; that's only one extra hour of sleep! Some reprise from training!_" Po thought furiously. (Shifu gets the Five up at 5 every morning)

When Po finally made his appearance in the kitchen, Mr. Ping had already made up several bowls of his famous noodle soup for him to take to their respective tables. "Morning, Dad." Now fully awake and in a more cordial mood Po greeted the old goose cheerfully as he snagged a few bean buns for breakfast. "Good morning, son. Did you sleep well?"

"Ah, I slept okay, dreamt about the Hall of Heroes again though; that'll teach me not to eat questionable tofu again." Po smirked while he glanced out the archway to take stock of the customers.

'_Regular, regular, regular… Oh, Mr. Kemp's back, I__ told__ him he'd like our food…' _Po steadily worked his way through the morning crowd, looking at each face, recognizing it, and categorizing the customer as 'regular', 'long time no see', 'finally I get them to try our food' , and 'old time regular'.

But one face stood out from the crowd, probably because the customer themself kept their face hidden under a cloak, and for the fact that all the other customers avoided the tables in the immediate vicinity, leaving the stranger sitting alone amongst a mass of empty tables.

"Hey Dad, do you have any idea who the creepy dude in the cloak is?" Po asked, loading his arms with people's orders in preparation to hand them out.

"No, I don't know who that person is; apparently he just showed up in front of the inn at dawn and requested a room."

Mr. Ping was the best person to ask about a new face in town, as the travelers always stop at his restaurant before they leave and the innkeepers always share the juiciest news with him over a cup of tea during break; so for him not to know much of the facts on a newcomer surprised Po, who decided then and there to talk to the cloaked stranger as soon as he got the chance.

"…o? PO!" Mr. Pings annoyed tone snapped Po back to the present. "Huh? What?"

"Po, the soup won't hand itself out, get out there!" Mr. Ping scolded, putting Po's hat on his head and shooing him out of the kitchen.

"I'm going, I'm going…"

_**A/N: Okay, so I had no idea where I was going with the whole 'dream' plan so just ignore it as it was a fill in for in between scenes. So, if you haven't already guessed, Po's on a short vacation from training & is working in his dad's restaurant again and now he's gonna meet our mystery fellow in the next chappie. Anyhoo, please read & review, I need the input.**_


	3. Chapter 3

Strangers in a Peaceful Land

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kung Fu Panda or its affiliated characters. Those belong to Dream Works. I only own Nicodemus (aka Blackheart) and the plot.**

_**A/N: Okay, so in case you're still confused, Po is on a short vacation from the Jade Palace & is helping his dad in the noodle restaurant again. Also, the dream in the previous chappie was a filler & will never come up again, I think. (Maybe a future one-shot? Heh heh…)**_

**To hulkma: I'm so happy you like it [grins in idiotic joy] & does the figure have dark powers? Well… yes and no, you'll just havta find out cuz it'd ruin later chappies. ; )**

**Chap3 Odd Talk**

"Here's your order, Mrs. Kay." Po announced cheerfully whilst placing a bowl of steaming hot soup in front of an elderly rabbit. "Oh Po, you're such a gentleman." Mrs. Kay said in her wavering voice as she picked up her spoon.

"So, is the Great Dragon Warrior no longer needed at the Jade Palace?" She inquired. "I'm still needed; Master Shifu just let me have the week off, provided I stay on high alert for trouble." Po explained.

"Well, it's nice that you can finally get a break from all that work, with all the things you've done for the village these past months, stopping Tai Lung and re-building the village and all." Mrs. Kay stated firmly, standing and handing Po some Yuan, then leaving before he could say 'Have a nice day.'

Po threaded his way back to the kitchen through the sea of tables, intending to put the Yuan in the money tin, that was, until he noticed that the only customer left was the cloaked stranger he had asked his dad about earlier; if he was going to strike up a conversation with this guy, now may be Po's only chance.

Abruptly changing course, Po sidled over to where the figure sat with a cup of tea held loosely in his grasp.

"Was the soup to your preference?" Po's soft question seemed to rouse the stranger from his thoughts as he turned to look at the nervous panda.

"To answer your question, yes, I do like the soup. But I have to say; that kind of dialect truly does not belong in your normal vocabulary does it?" The stranger's husky, baritone voice only succeeded in making Po more nervous as he listened attentively to the figure's answer.

"N-no, I do-don't usually speak like that, b-but my dad said it would be more proper for the Dr-dragon Warrior to sp-speak cul-cul-culturedly." Po responded, unable to keep from stuttering and proving the stranger's point as he messed up on his grammar.

"PO!" Mr. Ping's exasperated cry caused both males to whip around in surprise.

"Yea, Dad?"

"Quit pestering our customer and put Mrs. Kay's Yuan in the money tin… I'm sorry sir," After rebuffing Po, Mr. Ping turned to the stranger, "would you like some more tea?"

"Yes, that would be appreciated, and please, don't blame your son; he was kind enough to come over and strike up a conversation and because I'm new here, it'd be nice to know someone who knows their way around." While speaking, the stranger handed Mr. Ping his cup; Po realized that the stranger's paws were as black as night, not to mention _huge_.

"Thank you, sir." Mr. Ping said, accepting the cup and refilling it. "Please, call me Nicodemus." The stranger, or Nicodemus replied, but something caught in his voice when he spoke that caused Po to pause in closing the money tin to try to identify it. Sadness? Regret? Nostalgia? Po wasn't sure; all he knew was that Nicodemus was hiding something, something that would most likely end up causing Po to be really sore for the next few days.

"Well, come over here and sit down. I won't bite." At Nicodemus's comment Po realized that he had been standing in the same spot staring at Nicodemus for the last twenty seconds.

"Sorry." Po mumbled, walking over and sliding into the seat across from Nicodemus.

"I intimidate you, don't I Panda?" Nicodemus growled, looking Po full in the face for the first time, but not removing the hood of his cloak.

Po nearly wet himself.

Sharply angled cat eyes burned in the shadowy interior of the hood, their color like that of an inferno or a wild ember, slit-like pupils only enhancing the effect. Although Po could not make out the details of Nicodemus's face or identify what kind of cat he was, his knees were still knocking together so loud he thought Nicodemus could hear them.

"I-intimidated, n-no of c-course not, Wh-whatever g-g-gave you an idea like th-that?" Po stuttered, fear showing plainly in his face.

"A lot of people are when they first meet me," Nicodemus rumbled, a light chuckle evident in his voice. "Unfortunately, some people never get over my frightening appearance." He sighed, becoming sober once more, "and with good reason to." He said under his breath, but Po was just able to catch it.

"'Good reason to'?" Po echoed, "Why?"

"Well, let's just say that when me and my team come knocking, it's usually not for a midmorning snack." Nicodemus admitted, solidifying Po's growing fear.

"Panda, you're due back at the Jade Palace tomorrow, correct?" Nicodemus's sudden question knocked Po off guard, as well as Nicodemus's use of the term 'Panda'.

"Yes, why do you ask? Also, what's up with calling me 'Panda'?" Po asked, going from guarded to slightly miffed with the latter of the inquiries.

"Good. As for calling you 'Panda' it's just an informal formality, if you get my drift." Nicodemus said, rising from his chair. Po didn't quite get his drift, but rose also; he was aware of Nicodemus's smart sidestep as to explaining why he wanted to know if Po was going back to the Jade Palace, but let it slide.

"Here we go; I believe this covers my tab." Nicodemus commented, handing Po a few Yuan before striding to the entryway leading to the busy street.

"Wait!" Po called out, knowing he was on thin ice but decided to take his chances.

'_Hey, he knows I'm the Dragon Warrior, so he could've killed me several times by now if that was his intentions.'_ Po reasoned as he jogged up to a hesitating Nicodemus.

"'Nicodemus 'isn't the name you commonly go by, is it?" Po asked, praying to all known deities that the frightening cat wouldn't beat him up before answering him.

He came close to not having his prayers answered. Nicodemus's eyes flared and he instinctively gripped his cloak tighter with one paw, balling the other into a fist. Po had a feeling that, if he had been able to see the whole of Nicodemus's face, he probably would have seen Nicodemus curl his lip in the beginnings of a snarl.

Then Nicodemus relaxed and sighed before answering in his husky growl: "Hmph, smart guess Panda, you got it in one. People nowadays call me 'Blackheart'." With that Nicodemus turned and disappeared into the crowd, leaving one terrified panda standing in the archway.

'_Oh snap…'_

_**A/N: Wow that was a long chapter! My fingers hurt! So, Po has now officially met Blackheart aka Nicodemus, and is scared silly by both the cloaked cat's words and appearance. And frankly, I would be too. Who is his team? Well, they will be coming in one by one over the chapters, but I ran out of ideas for names, species, and attitudes. **__**SO, PLEASE HELP ME! PLEASE SEND ME IDEAS FOR CHARACTERS WORTHY OF BEING IN BLACKHEART'S GROUP/TEAM! MY IMAGINATIVE WELL HAS RUN DRY!**__** (Takes deep breath and finishes rant.) If you didn't get the above memo, please review, review, review, and tell me what you think, I need the input (for obvious reasons). ; D**_

_**PS I will give thanks to whoever sends the character ideas to me. Example: 'thank you xxx for letting me use xxx…'**_


	4. Chapter 4

Strangers in a Peaceful Land

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kung Fu Panda or its affiliated characters. Those belong to Dream Works. I only own Nicodemus and the plot.**

_**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I've been lacking in the inspiration department; but hopefully I should be able to punch out this chappie without too much hassle. Oh, and one thing I want to say is… WHY HAVN'T MANY OF YOU PPL REVIEWED OR TOLD ME YOUR IDEAS? I NEED HELP TO FIGURE OUT CHARACTERS FOR BLACKHEAR'TS GROUP FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD. REVIEW! Sorry… Uh… Let's continue…**_

"Breath in, breath out… Maintain posture…"

'_Ah… that's better... peace and quiet with the students doing their respective activities… quiet…'_

"MASTER!"

'_I spoke too soon…'_ With a small, resigned sigh, Master Shifu unfolded from one of the more advanced forms of lotus positions and turned to face one of his students; and thus was quite surprised when that student turned out to be none other than the Dragon Warrior.

"Po, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?" To say that Po wasn't an early-bird was an understatement; he HATED getting up any earlier than 8 o'clock, so Shifu naturally expected Po to get back to the Jade Palace around noonish.

Yet here he was, standing just inside the doorway of the Hall of Heroes, at 5:30 in the morning, huffing and puffing like he was going to keel over any second.

"Po?" Master Shifu questioned again, becoming more concerned with the lack of response from the normally chatty panda.

"I…hate…stairs…" Po gasped out, letting his legs fold under him and landing in a heap of fat and fur right at Shifu's feet. "Gotta… talk to… you… and the Five…"

"Zeng, come here!" A black palace goose wearing a yellow and gold trimmed outfit came scurrying through the door at Shifu's call.

"Yes, Master Shifu?" Zeng came skittering to a stop in front of the old Master and bowed.

"Round up the Furious Five and tell them to meet me here at the Hall of Heroes in 20 minutes"

"Yes, sir!" Zeng made his leave more quickly than usual, spurred on by the tense note that dominated Shifu's words.

With that deed done, Master Shifu looked down at the prone figure still sprawled out on the marble floor.

"Stand up Panda, you look ridiculous."

"Grmph." Was Po's only reply as he slowly peeled himself off the floor into a some-what slouching sit before finally standing to his full height.

"Do you wish to tell me anything beforehand, or would you rather we wait for the Five?"

"Wait for the Five; this is weirder than normal."

Once again Po's actions took Shifu by surprise, for the panda would usually unload any drastic information on him right from the get-go because he was either scared of making his report in front of the Five or he was so excited about the event he couldn't stop talking about it.

This time it was different; Po was obviously worried about something, yet he didn't want to speak of it until he was surrounded by the other Masters.

_I don't know what's going on here, but I have a feeling that we're in for a long haul… _

Shifu turned and picked up the mended peach staff that stood at the base of former Grand Master Oogway's painting.

_Please guide us in these uncertain times Master…_

Crossing his legs, Shifu sat at the entrance to the Hall of Heroes, peach staff resting on his lap as he waited for the Furious Five to appear.

**15 minutes later…**

A collection of soft thuds coming up the stairs alerted Shifu to the Furious Five's arrival just as they came running up the steps (or in Crane's case flying) and slid into an abrupt stop in front of him.

The Five bowed to their Master and Tigress said aloud their unspoken question. "Master, you summoned us? Is something wrong?"

Shifu returned the bow before answering his student's question. "In truth Tigress, I don't really know."

Choosing to ignore his shocked students' murmurings, the Grand Master instead motioned for them to step further into the Hall; closing the heavy doors once all were inside.

"Po, are you ready to make your report?" Shifu directed his attention to the abnormally quiet panda who had taken residence behind the Moon pool.

"Uh… yeah, I mean… yes, I'm gonna make my report now." Once again, Po bumbled in his speech, obviously intimidated by the stares the Five where directing his way.

"Well then, get on with it!" Shifu snapped as Po hesitated, unsure of how to begin.

"Okay…uh…let's see here… Well, yesterday morning, when I went downstairs for breakfast… I noticed an unusual customer…"

**After Po's recount/report…**

"Then he said, '…smart guess Panda, you got it in one. People nowadays call me Blackheart.' And he left."

He fell silent as the rest of the students and the Grand Master pondered his words.

"So, you think that because this Nicodemus person is in town, something bad is going to happen?" Viper asked, head cocked as she mulled over Po's story.

"Yea, 'cause the way he spoke made it seem as if he knew we would be seeing him soon, and that it wouldn't be good."

"I think your right Po." To say that everyone was startled by Shifu's comment was an understatement.

"I…Wha…Really…Why?" Po stuttered, at a complete loss for words.

"I have heard rumors of a group of animals that roam place to place, and more often than not, those places they have stayed at have seen battle in the time they remained there. However, if this Nicodemus and his team are truly that group, I do not know." Just as Shifu finished speaking, a bar of light flashed across the floor, illuminating the startled Masters.

"You are correct in your assumption, Grand Master Shifu, we are indeed that group." Everyone turned to the half-open door and silhouette that stood just inside it.

"Who are you and what is your business here?" Tigress demanded, dropping automatically into a fighting stance.

"I am Blackheart, Master Tigress," As Blackheart spoke he took a few steps forward, so that he was completely within the Hall of Warriors. "And we need to talk."

_**A/N: I know, I know, the whole 'We need to talk' line is **__**way**__** overused, but I didn't have another line that fit. R&R people, I need some constructive criticism. I can't make this better if you don't send in suggestions or reviews, so please do so. Also, if you didn't notice in the above note… PLZE SEND ME YOUR IDEAS FOR BLACKHEART"S TEAM!**_

_**Peace, TaleHeart**_


	5. Chapter 5

Strangers in a Peaceful Land

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Kung Fu Panda or its affiliated characters. Those belong to Dream Works. I only own Nicodemus and the plot.**

**To ****FFcrazy15****: I'm not entirely sure what you mean by how you think you know who it is. Could you elaborate plze? (Review and the like)**

**To ****Comrade****: Thank you for the well-wishing and the character idea; I'm definitely going to use it in upcoming chappie's. I'm gonna try to update more often too.**

**To ****Scruffy The Rat****: Thanks as well for the character idea & his bio. I won't be able to use all the data but I should be able to incorporate most of it into the story.**

_**A/N: My apologies for not having updated in so long, I have NOT put this or my other story on hiatus, but I have been so crazy busy it's not even funny. Thank you so much to those people who have been patient, it means a lot to me. **_

_**to the people who have taken the time to post a review on my story; your input helps me determine what direction I take my stories. Hopefully I will be able to update more often with this fanfic and my Aladdin one. (Not likely but I can dream)**_

_*****__**NOTE**__**: To those who sent me character ideas, I'm going to give you a formal thanks in the chappie where I first introduce the character and will display recognition of the fact that it's your character in my disclaimer from that point on.***_

**Xiaotong –'red sky child' according to Google, please don't be mad if I get it wrong!**

Blackheart remained still as Tigress growled in response to his vague answer, a clear warning that she did not believe his simple request of wanting to talk.

Shifu, taking note of the situation, decided it would be wise to intervene before things got out of hand.

"What is it that you wish to speak to us about?" He asked, limping to stand alongside Tigress; in doing so he took the opportunity to shoot her a warning glance before returning his attention to the hooded cat.

"An invasion."

Blackheart's words seemed to turn in on themselves as the Masters of the Jade Palace stood still as stone, digesting what they had just heard.

"Are you sure?" Master Shifu's voice roused the rest of them from their state of shock as they looked towards the feline once again.

"Unfortunately, yes; and it will be upon us all too soon."

"How can we know you're not attempting to lure us out of the palace? "

Tigress's comment seemed to voice what was running through every Master's mind; they looked to the stranger, gauging his reaction to such an open challenge.

His reaction, it turned out, was not the one they were expecting.

Deep, booming laughs resounded off the walls of the Hall of Heroes as the hooded feline sagged on his feet, oblivious to Tigress's rapidly thinning patience and the mystified looks on Shifu's and the other's faces.

It was only after Tigress gave a threatening growl that Blackheart was able to contain his amusement, and even then a few rogue chuckles still escaped him.

"My apologies for the disrespect, Master Tigress, but your actions reminded me of a colleague of mine; she never trusted anyone either."

Sobering once more, Blackheart looked at the Grand Master with a grave seriousness.

"All joking aside, I am completely honest in what I speak of. My team and I have hunted these hellions for years, and unfortunately, while we know their patterns, we have yet to defeat them, permanently."

Tigress still looked unconvinced, but the other Masters relaxed slightly, apparently okay with hearing Blackheart out.

"If you would care to elaborate Blackheart, it would be highly appreciated." Shifu requested, motioning with his hand for the Furious Five and Po to stand down.

Blackheart nodded and proceeded to fold his legs under himself in a lotus position on the floor, smoothing the folds out of his cloak as he did so.

"Well, are you going to make yourselves comfortable, or are you just going to stand around like coatracks?" He asked, annoyed that the Masters were still standing in a loose circle in front of him, apparently undecided in their actions.

Exchanging slightly affronted glances, Po and the others slowly lowered themselves into the same crossed-legged position as their visitor.

"Listen closely, because I'm not going to repeat myself."

Blackheart took a deep breath before continuing.

"Like I said before, myself and a group of animals have been chasing these _creatures _for a very long time. Unfortunately, these so-called animals have been around for a lot longer than this team has. When they first started causing trouble, everyone thought that they were just big-shots trying to be tough, and that a well-seasoned warrior would be more than enough to discourage them from any future plans; so in order to 'teach them a lesson' several villages within the area asked a Kung Fu master by the name of Xiaotong to assist them, and…"

"NO WAY! THE XIAOTONG, THE CREATOR OF BLACK TIGER STYLE AND THE VICTOR OF THE SEVEN BATTLES OF BLOOD RIVER?"

The Hall was silent following Po's outburst, said panda squirming uncomfortably at the flat looks his Master and Blackheart were giving him.

"Uh… I mean… was he creator of Black Tiger Style?"

Shifu pinched the bridge of his nose and spared Blackheart the trouble of dealing with a Kung Fu obsessed Dragon Warrior.

"Yes Po, Master Xiaotong was the creator of Black Tiger Style and was a great philosopher as well," He turned to his visitor, ears cocked, "But it was said that he was killed in a failed ambush attempt on a bandit camp."

"It is true, in a really watered-down-so-far-from-the-event-it's-a-speck kind of way, but in theory yes, it is true."

"Now, if I may _continue_ with my narrative…" Po winced as another glare was shot his way.

"Ahem, as I was _saying_, these villages asked Master Xiaotong if he would launch an attack on the bandit group and drive them out of the area; he agreed. He and a small group of students tracked the bandits back to their camp, setting up a trap-and-ambush point for the following night. This group of bandits wasn't comprised of a singular species like most are, so the diversity made all the difference in the planning of Xiaotong's ambush. He compensated for the winged and fleet-footed bandits by adding shruikan to his student's arsenal and padding to their uniforms to fend off the heavy-handed blows of the rhinos and other broad animals. It was a highly thought out strategy all in all, quite worthy of the Master whom devised it; it was simplicity in of itself: wait till after supper, set fire to a single tent to draw attention, storm the camp, confuse the bandits with a maelstrom of different attacks, leave them with wounds, but not casualties, and bring only the shruikan, as any other weapon could be turned."

"Sounds exactly like Xiaotong; he always was a cat of careful planning." Shifu commented, taking advantage of Blackheart's pause for breath.

"Indeed he was, which is why it is so unfortunate that his strategy did not unfold as he had hoped. Oh, sliding behind the lines and setting the tent on fire was an easy enough maneuver, but once he and his students began their assault, it went south in every way possible. The 'bandits' that Xiaotong was expecting to face were anything but; they were covered in strong, light armor, armed with several different weapons, and had the attitude of a group of mercenaries or war-made demons; they overwhelmed his students in a matter of minutes, their instincts and obvious lust for combat far outweighing anything the tiger Master had ever encountered. The shruikan that the Kung Fu warriors brought had zero effect on the bandits' armor, and almost as soon as the battle started, the bloodbath began. Master Xiaotong's students were slaughtered, their training not doing them an iota of good; they were outmatched, caught, stabbed, strangled, decapitated, disemboweled, crushed, and otherwise eliminated. Within ten minutes only Master Xiaotong himself and a single student remained, the black tiger was surrounded in the middle of the encampment, and his student was bound and pinned to the ground by one of the bandits, his clothes soaking up his comrades' blood before it was fully absorbed into the ground. Cornered, Master Xiaotong was able to strike down the first bandit by giving him a double palm strike to the chest when said egret got careless and came too close. However, the sight of one of their own being killed was too much for the animals; what little restraint they had left snapped, and they quite literally ripped Master Xiaotong to pieces. During Xiaotong's 'final stand', a single bandit remained apart from the horde, pinning Xiaotong's student to the ground and keeping perfectly calm even as the rest of the creatures went feral. A Komodo dragon and the apparent leader of the group, he forced the student to watch as his Master fell to the fangs, claws, and rage of the feral beasts, speaking quietly in the young'un's ear the entire time; the Komodo told him how this was nothing compared with what was to come, and that they, the Ska'rahl, would soon put similar methods to the surrounding provinces, destroying anything or one that stood in their way, and that nothing from this world would be able to stop them. After Master Xiaotong's death, the Komodo dragon released the student, ordering him to pick up his Master's sash and return to the villages, announcing that the black tiger had been killed in a skirmish, giving the student a little 'incentive' to keep him from speaking of the Ska'rahl. Bleeding heavily, the student managed to pick the sash out of the remains and, limping back to the villages, obeyed the Komodo' s order, saying that Master Xiaotong was killed in a 'ambush-gone-wrong'."

Dead silence met the end of the hooded cat's story, every gaze turned to the floor and thoughts running rampant through several minds.

"So… who was the student?" Crane looked at Blackheart, calm and clear-headed in the light of what had been told.

"You're too young to have been him, but you know the story too well to not have been told by someone from that night."

Once again Blackheart chuckled, and like before, he sobered just as quickly.

"His name was Matthias, and he was my mentor and closest friend ever since I was a cub."

"Hold on, he _was_ your mentor, what happened to him?" It was Mantis who spoke this time, hopping up to stand at his usual position on Monkey's shoulder.

"He was killed six summers ago during a Ska'rahl attack on a small mountain village; he was evacuating a group of children to the village square when the Komodo snuck up behind him and ran his sword through his chest."

"Oh." was Mantis's only response.

Blackheart huffed and stood, readjusting his hood when it fell further over his eyes. "So now that you know the backstory, will you help us?"

"Do we have a choice?" This came from Viper, who had slithered up to look the feline straight in the eye.

"You always have a choice; I would never force you to agree." He replied.

Shifu stepped up, drawing the attention of everyone in the room.

"Before this goes any farther, I believe it would be wise for you to remove your cloak." Shifu stated calmly, looking up at the shadowy face hidden in the recess of the hood.

Blackheart hesitated for a moment before replying. "As you wish, Grand Master, but I warn you: you may be alarmed by what you see." His gravelly voice held a hint of uncertainty as well as the no-nonsense tone that had dominated his words since his impromptu meeting with the Masters.

Blackheart's paws slowly raised to undo the button fastened at his collar bone, the only thing keeping the cloak on his body; everyone held their breath as the huge black paws fumbled with the tiny button.

Finally, it came loose; the hood slid off his head and was followed by the rest of the garment, which landed in a heap around the cat's feet.

The flame-colored eyes that had been burning in the shadows of the hood were now smoldering in an expressionless black furred face as the now unmasked feline stood for all to see.

Blackheart's initial body structure was not unlike a tigers; his wider face was smooth and well-defined, and his muscles had the tough, lean appearance that most tigers inherited. However, there were key differences in Blackheart's appearance that made it obvious that he was no pure-bred.

His paws were far thicker than any tigers, closely resembles a snow leopards' in build. Also, his fur was thicker and denser, yet smooth and silky, with no stripes, just solid black; he was obviously built for hiding in the dark, stalking prey without a sound until it was too late. He was dressed in a simple, sleeveless dark green tunic and black pants; the only bright color on the cat beside his eyes was a bright amethyst he wore on a strip of leather bound about his throat.

"Ahem…. So… Uh… A-are any of your p-p-pals around for us to meet?" Po was the first to speak in the group of once more silent Masters, even though he was by far the most frightened by Blackheart's appearance.

"One of my associate's is nearby, if you would like to meet him." Blackheart said, apparently unconcerned by the stares he was attracting from Po, Mantis, and Monkey.

"Yes, I believe we would. Then I think it would be beneficial for you to introduce us to the rest of your group before we further discuss the 'problem' you have presented us with." Shifu remained unruffled by Blackhearts' intimidating figure, having seen many terrifying people in his lifetime.

Blackheart nodded and motioned for the Furious Five, Po, and Master Shifu to follow him out the door.

Once they were all standing outside, Blackheart tilted his head back and let loose a soft, shrill whistle that echoed in the crisp mountain air.

"He'll be here in a moment." He said turning back to the Masters. "His best time is 45 seconds, but he may beat that today."

By this time the Masters were looking all around the courtyard, completely confused.

"Who's coming?" Monkey asked, cross-eyed from trying to look at two different points in the yard at once.

"I'M coming, primate!" A bright, cocky voice suddenly spoke from the roof of the Hall.

"Thirty seconds, Blackheart, mark it."

Blackheart was gazing up at the roof, a knowing smirk curling across his lips. "I will once you get down here."

"Blackheart, who in the Emperor's name is that?" Shifu asked, squinting at the roof, trying desperately to see who was speaking.

"Name's Fen, Grandmaster;" A small blur jumped from the roof, flipping and flying through the air before landing with its back to the group.

The figure straightened and faced them, a cloak obscuring most of his features.

"And I here you want to hear about our little 'dilemma'."

**Annnnnd….. That's it. WOOOOHHHHH Longest chappie eva! X D Anyways, I am alive once again, and though slow, I am updating. PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW! CONSTRCTIVE CRITIZISM WELCOME! **

**Peace, Taleheart**


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